The stallholders and traders have helped make this year’s Suffolk Show a big success after a “difficult” 2012, the director has said.

An estimated 87,000 people came to Trinity Park in Ipswich over the two days and the arenas and rings were packed with stunt motorbike teams, all-action military displays, stunning dog agility exhibitions and prime specifies of all sorts of livestock.

The many food and drink stands along the Greene King Eat Street were packed with punters while fashionistas were busy hunting for bargains in Fifth Avenue, a corner of the park that was turned into a boutique shopping zone.

It was the third and final year for David Nunn as show director and he said he was thankful that so many of those traders who lost out when the second day of last year’s show was cancelled had returned to Trinity Park this week.

Mr Nunn will be replaced as show director by Bill Baker for the next three years, but will take up a new role as vice chairman of the Suffolk Agricultural Association, which puts on the annual event.

He said: “It’s been an excellent second day and we have certainly got more people here than yesterday, which was a good day in itself.

“This will go down as a very good turnout as a whole, with a nice number from the first day considering it was such a miserable day. I suspect people have been watching the weather forecast and have left it until the second day.”

Organisers had estimated around 90,000 people would attend the show.

Mr Nunn added: “I think people supported us and bought their stands early.

“We were very concerned that whatever we did at the end of last year, we had to do it right. We offered trade stands a 30% refund and less than half took us up on that – and an awful lot who did are back again this year.

“We drew a line under last year, and go forward. The whole year was difficult for a lot of those people and some will have been affected, but I’m really pleased to see them back here again.”

Mr Nunn said the biggest change he had made as director was to alter the show layout and make it easier for people to move around, removing bottlenecks that had caused a few issues in previous years. He said he had thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to “make his mark” on the show by introducing Eat Street, more horse rings and moving the cattle into the showground for the showing.

He said he would reflect on a “fantastic” first year in 2011, a “difficult” show in 2012 and a “good” final event to close his three-year term as director.

He added: “What’s been going on in the rings this year has been amazing. We have had a really good motorbike display team and what the Army have been doing with their pontoon bridge display was very exciting.

“We would all like to see a little bit more sunshine but this sort of weather is actually better for the trade stands.

“Some of the trade stands have done as well as they ever have done at the Suffolk Show and I think the weather helps that.”

The cool conditions not only proved helpful for traders but contributed to a trouble-free two days for the first aiders from the Red Cross and St John Ambulance.

Red Cross duty officer Steve Mayhew said that compared to previous years, the 2013 show had been “very good” and that people had clearly come prepared.

“It’s been ideal weather and we have had no major incidents to deal with,” he said.